March 27, 2023
Bubble Has a New Pal . . .Meet Butty!
Have you noticed that our mute swan, Bubble, now has a young pal? Butty, a nine-month-old male came to us in March all the way from Chicago. Butty still displays some of the dusky brown-gray feathers of youth. When he matures, he will be entirely white.
Why is he called Butty?
As many of you know, Bubble’s brother was Squeak. They were named by Innkeeper John Mellor for the famous British dish, Bubble and Squeak. And also because the noises they make sound like bubbles and squeaks. When we lost Squeak to natural causes, we were anxious to get a companion for Bubble. But what to call him?
A Butty is an informal term for a sandwich in the United Kingdom. Typically, butties have hot, savory fillings. The most common are chips (French fries), bacon, sausage, and egg. Bacon butties were a great favorite of Innkeeper John. He made them for his children when they were small. (His recipe was white bread, bacon, and ketchup!)
The first time Jack to me to England, we went to the theater in London’s West End. We had a light supper afterwards at a nearby restaurant. The post-theater menu was promoted as Bubble and Butty—champagne and bacon sandwiches!
So the name honors John and brings back a wonderful memory of his homeland.
Fun fact: I had assumed the Brits named bacon sandwiches after pork butt. But according to Better Homes and Gardens http://www.bhg.com/chip.butty, the term is actually a shortened form of bread and butter.
The picture below was taken by our own Eddie—a handy guy with a camera as well as other tools! We hope you will stop by soon to greet our swans. Don’t forget to ask for a bag of lettuce in the office to share with them!
Bubble and Butty explore Buckhorn Inn Pond.
February 19, 2018
Swans Make Frequent Appearances in Literature
One of the most famous stories in children’s literature is “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen. The story is about a cygnet who thinks he is an unattractive duckling, but grows into a beautiful and graceful swan. Andersen also wrote “The Wild Swans”. This tale features an evil stepmother who turned her stepsons into swans. They carry away their sister to save her. The sister is mute, but spends her days knitting shirts from nettles. She is about to be burned at the stake as a witch when her brothers descend from the sky and save her. They don the magic nettle shirts and turn into human form. Their sister regains her speech and all live happily ever after.
The graceful swans at the Buckhorn Inn could star in their own story.
Greek mythology shares the story of Leda and the swan. This story recounts the conception of Helen of Troy by the Queen of Sparta and Zeus, disguised as a swan. This myth was expressed powerfully by W.B. Yeats in his poem “Leda and the Swan”. Yeats also wrote “The Wild Swans at Coole” which expressed his search for lasting beauty in a changing world where beauty was temporary.
In Norse mythology, two swans drink from the Well of Urd. The water is so pure that the swans turn white, as do all their descendants.
The Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario used the swan as inspiration. His most famous poem perhaps is “Coat of Arms”. His use of the swan made it the symbol of the Modernismo poetic movement.
Works of classical literature reference the myth that otherwise mute swans sing beautifully at the moment of their death. This idea gave birth to the phrase “swan song”.
Because of their lifelong, monogamous pairing, swans are often a symbol of never ending love. Swans were a favorite bird Shakespeare. Many of his works feature them, including this passage from “As You Like It”:
And wheresoever we went, like Juno’s swans, still we went coupled and unseparable.
Buckhorn Inn Swans to be Named in Mid-March, Literature Provides Inspiration
Our two brother swans arrived at the Inn on February 14. Innkeeper John is contemplating the many clever names submitted by our guests. Please refer to our earlier blog listing potential names. Please let us know your ideas if you have not yet done so!
January 8, 2018
Buckhorn Inn Pond Enhancements Continue
If you have been following the Buckhorn Inn on social media, you know we have been devoting much time and energy to being good caretakers of the pond on our nature trail. This past summer we released grass carp into the pond to help us optimize the plant growth. We also added a foundation. The fountain not only is beautiful and provides soothing noise for visitors, but it also helps us maintain the good health of the water.
A more recent project has been the removal of fallen trees around the pond. Kevin Howard with Rex Howard’s Landscaping came up with a clever way to manage this work. In Buckhorn Inn’s 80 years there have been few days when it was cold enough to freeze Buckhorn Pond enough to support about a dozen large men, but this winter was one for the records. We had contracted with the firm to clear dead trees and debris on the side of the pond next to busy Buckhorn Road. Rather than trying to clear this area from the roadside, Kevin had his men pile logs and debris on a heavy tarp and pull it across the frozen ice to the other side where it could be more easily loaded on trucks. One of the fellows was assigned to sweep up all the debris from the ice–we expect him to go out for the U.S. curling team for the next Winter Olympics after all that practice!
Our pond rarely freezes solid, but Mother Nature picked a perfect time for this cold snap!
We are so pleased with the work thus far. The next step will be installing some beautiful plantings that will provide screening from busy Buckhorn Road and add to the natural beauty of this space. We will be adding native trees, bushes, and plants that will be at home in this environment. Our spring-fed pond will become an even more special place to enjoy your sack lunch, read a book, and enjoy the quiet beauty of nature.
Swans to Return to Buckhorn Pond
We know that many of you have expressed how much you miss the swans that used to grace Buckhorn Pond. We have good news! Innkeeper Lee presented John with two swans for Christmas! The swans are coming from North Barrington, Illinois. They cannot safely be shipped by plane until the weather warms up, so we look forward to their arrival this spring. We are working on setting up our “swan cam” so that you can monitor the activities of this pair from anywhere! In our January newsletter we will provide additional information on this pair and how we are preparing for them. Be sure to read the article for additional information!
November 26, 2010
Romance of the Swans
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- Teller won’t be lonely too much longer.
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- Teller won’t be lonely for too much longer.
As many of you know, our darling female swan Pen was slain last May protecting her nest of eggs. Her mate Teller was distraught after her death as swans usually mate for life. However, we are advised that enough time has passed for him to accept a new mate and we have selected a beauty for him and christened her Pentu. She is set to arrive by plane the second week of December and we are hoping theirs will be a marriage made in Buckhorn Pond. You can keep up with the news of their courtship on Facebook, on our Blog ( www.buckhorninn.com/blog), or follow our tweets (YES! We now twitter.)
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